DirectColor & GS/C Cards Q&A

A: No, the DirectColor cards are unsupported in Quadra AV and Power Macintosh computers.

Q: What resolutions are supported by the DirectColor and GS/C cards?

A: The DirectColor 8/16/24 and the GS/C and GS/C-M cards were shipped in the same period of time as the first 19" and 21" Radius Color Displays. These cards ONLY support an 1152x882 resolution. This is not an Apple-standard resolution. Therefore, they can only be used with large screen displays of the same resolution. The supported Radius displays which work with the boards are:

Two Page Display 19 - model numbers 0030; 0171; 0218.

Two Page Display 21 - model number 0217

Radius Color Display 19 - model number 0031

Radius Color Display 21 - model numbers 0287; 0348

The DirectColor GX NTSC and PAL cards will support a 13" display at 640x480, with millions of colors ONLY. These cards do not support any other resolutions.

Q: How can I identify the card I have?

A: The easiest way to identify a DirectColor or GS/C card is to look at the white piece of sticktape on the board's main ROM chip. Look at the chip-side of the card. You will see a large chip with a white sticker on it. The sticker will identify the ROM and, thereby, the card as DC8/24 or GS/C. The last ROM revision for the DirectColor 8/16/24 cards was 1.5. The final ROM revision for the DirectColor GX boards was 1.3; and the final ROM revision for the GS/C cards was 2.2. If you have a board which is missing the ROM, or the attached sticker, boards can be identified by their board assembly numbers.

Board Assembly Numbers

DirectColor 8 632-0060, 632-0049, 630-0105, and 632-0082

DirectColor 16 632-0073, 632-0038, and 630-0120

DirectColor 24 632-0061, 632-0039, 630-0121, and 632-0083

DirectColor GX 632-0052, 632-0029, and 632-0063

GS/C 632-0020, 630-0063, and 630-0018

Q: When I boot my computer, the mouse freezes on the screen. What's happening?

A: Cursor freezes are usually ROM-related. If you have an older ROM, ROM & software upgrade kits can be ordered through the Radius upgrade hotline at 800-977-7060. Following are the required kit numbers should an order be necessary:

Board Part Number

DirectColor 8, 16, or 24 630-0198

DirectColor GX 630-0245

GS/C 630-0154

Q: Is my board upgradeable?

A: There isn't a way to speed up the cards. However, the DirectColor 8 and DirectColor 16 graphics cards shipped with empty video RAM sockets. This allows users of the DirectColor 8 and 16 to upgrade their cards to up to 24-bit (or millions of colors) capability by adding VRAM SIPPS, or Single Inline Plastic Packets to their card. Although Radius no longer ships the VRAM upgrade kits, they should be available through Toshiba by calling 800-334-3445. The part number for each VRAM SIPP is TC524256AZ-10. Since each SIPP equals one-quarter megabyte of VRAM, there are four SIPPs per megabyte. Therefore, to upgrade a DirectColor 8 to a DirectColor 16, four SIPPS need to be ordered. The addition of four more would bring the card to 24-bit capability. Unfortunately, older VRAM, such is SIPPs tend to be quite expensive, and could cost more than the price of a new, comparable board. If you are thinking about upgrading a board, it would be in your best interest to price newer graphics cards before purchasing the VRAM upgrades.

Q: Do I need any special software for these cards to work?

A: No. These card and its attached display will function without the addition of any display software.

Q: Some of the Radius cards will switch resolutions if you hold down the "T" key during startup. Is this the same with the DirectColor and GS/C cards?

A: No. Since the cards only support one resolution, 1152x882, there is no T-key configuration functionality.

Q, I have a multi-scan or multiple resolution display. Will the DirectColor or GS/C cards work ?

A: This will work only if your display is capable of an 1152x882 resolution. Even then, you will lose the use of the multiple resolutions which your display features. If you have a multi-scan display, it is strongly recommended that you upgrade to a display card, such as one of our PrecisionColor Pro or Thunder cards, which are capable of supporting more than one resolution.

Q: Are the DirectColor and GS/C cards compatible with System 7.5?

A: These cards are untested and unsupported with System 7.5. The final ROM releases for these cards ensured compatibility with System 7.1. These cards MAY work with later systems, but will remain unsupported with operating systems beyond 7.1.

Q: What cable is used to connect the DirectColor and GS/C cards to an older Radius display? (!)

A: The following cables are needed to connect the following display models. Please call 1-800-977-7060 to order any needed cable by the part number listed below:

Display Cable Part Number

TPD/19 590-0057-01 or 590-0040*

TPD/21 590-0057-01 or 590-0040*

Color Display 19 590-0040 or 590-0165-01**

Color Display 21 590-0040 or 590-0165-01**

* The 590-0040 cable has three NBC connectors (Red, Green, and Blue). Only the Green cable should be connected to the monitor.

** This cable has five BNC connectors (Red, Green, Blue, H sync, and V sync). Only the Red, Green, and Blue cables should be connected.

The DirectColor GX NTSC/PAL cards will only work with a 13" display. The part number for that cable is 637-0006-01.

Q: My DirectColor GX card says it supports NTSC. What is that? (!)

A: NTSC is the guideline used by the American television industry, among others. The DirectColor GX/NTSC card can output a signal to a component NTSC monitor. Similarly, there is a PAL version of the card which can be used overseas to output a signal to PAL monitors.

A: Although Apple's newer 14-inch Macintosh Color Display uses the same resolution and timing as its predecessor, the newer 14-inch has an energy saving feature which shuts the display off if hasn't detected a sync signal within a short period of time. Unfortunately, the display card's sync signal takes longer to be generated and travel to the display's processor than the display will allow. Consequently, the display will shut itself off. There is no fix for this problem. We recommend upgrading your card. The Radius replacement for the DirectColor GX boards is the PrecisionColor Pro 24XP, model number 0429.